Unmei no Henka
by middeneaht
Summary: 6 months after Merlin's magic is discovered and he is sentenced to death a mysterious thief appears that starts terrorising the citizens of Camelot. What started as a simple task of catching an unknown thief turns deadly when the murdering of nobles and knights begins. With destiny forgotten will Camelot survive or will it be destroyed by the hands of the one who used to protect it
1. Prologue

**Unmei No Henka?**

**This is a new story idea I came up with that wouldn't leave me alone. I was going to write all the chapter then upload but I couldn't wait! (Even if it is 2:20 in the morning... -_-)**

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**Summary- 6 months after Merlin's magic is discovered and he is sentenced to death a mysterious thief appears that starts terrorising the citizens of Camelot. Soon, what started as a simple task of catching an unknown thief turns deadly when the murdering of nobles and knights begins. With destiny forgotten will Camelot survive or will it be destroyed by the hands of the one who used to protect it. **

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"_**When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future."- **__**Bernard Meltzer**___

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_Prologue- The beginnings of Change_

Merlin stood in shocked silence, his terrifies gaze locked onto Arthurs, who too stood too shocked to do anything. He hadn't wanted Arthur to find out yet and not like this. It had happened too quickly.

They had been bantering as usual when the door had burst open and a knight had burst into the room 'sire, there is an-' He dropped to the ground, dead, a dagger embedded into the back of his head. A figure appeared behind the now dead knight, yanking the dagger out of the knight's head as he passed.

'It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person King Arthur' he sneered 'I'm glad I can finally kill you.' Before Merlin or Arthur could react a knife was being thrown towards a defenceless Arthur, whose sword was across the other side of the room. The dagger was too quick to doge.

'fríese. Æthwierfe!'

The knife froze, inches from Arthur's face, before it turned around and flew back towards the attacker, stabbing him in the stomach. The attacker stumbled slightly in shock; he then turned and fled out the room, only escaping because Arthur was too stunned to follow. His eyes were locked onto Merlin, his hand outstretched and eyes fading from gold back to familiar blue. In the distance warning bells tolled, alerting the rest of the castle to the sorcerer who had by now escaped, wounded and perhaps dying. The sound of the bell snapped Arthur back to reality.

'You have- you're a sorcerer.'

"_Warlock actually"_ Merlin wanted to correct but he was too terrified to speak, scared about what was going to happen to him. Surely Arthur wouldn't kill him, right?

When Merlin didn't reply Arthur grew frustrated 'All these years' he shouted taking a step towards Merlin, who flinched nervously 'I trusted you! And you lied to me!'

'Arthur I-'

'NO. I don't want to hear it! No more lies!' He strode across the room and grabbed his sword, immediately pointing it at Merlin 'Was it all just an act? An act so we would trust you and then you'd kill us all.'

'Arthur let me explai-'

Arthur's sword was now touching Merlin's neck 'you better start explaining, traitor, or I'll run you through.' Merlin flinched again, trying to take a step backwards. 'Arthur, all I have ever done is used my magic to protect you! I'm not evil, neither is magic!' Arthur pressed his sword further into Merlin's throat, drawing a bit of blood.

'Liar' he growled

'I'm not lying Arthur!'

'Magic is evil. It corrupts whoever uses it. All it causes is destruction. I doubt you are any different, sorcerer.'

At that moment two knights came running through the doors, it was Sir Leon and Sir Gwaine. They paused in shock at the scene before them; Gwaine was the first to react. 'Arthur what the hell are you doing!?' Arthur said nothing for a second. Then, turning his head to face the two knights, sword kept on Merlin, and spoke in a voice void of any emotion but hatred 'Take this traitor to the dungeon. For his crimes against Camelot, he will be executed at dawn.'

'What are talking about Arthur, what crimes!?'

'Do not question your orders Gwaine!'

Had he not been grabbed by Leon, Gwaine would have punched Arthur in the face. 'Come on Gwaine.' Leon walked forward and grabbed Merlin and lead him out of the room, he pulled Gwaine along with his other hand. When they were a distance away Gwaine turned to look at Merlin who was staring emotionlessly at the floor.

'What have you done this time Merlin' Gwaine joked 'called him fat again?'

Merlin ignored him

'Well,' Gwaine continued seemingly not put out by the fact Merlin ignored him or the tense atmosphere 'whatever you've done I'm sure princess will come to his senses in a few minutes.'

Again Merlin said nothing and continued not to talk until they reached the dungeons. 'Have a nice stay' Gwaine smiled as Merlin walked into the cell 'even if it is not for long. Arthur will let you out in a bit.' He closed the cell door.

'He won't' Merlin spoke for the first time to the two knights. 'Of course he will Merlin. You've known each other for about five years now. He trusts you.' Leon spoke. 'No. Arthur hates me and wants me dead.' Gwaine and Leon shared a look of confusion. 'I'm sure he doesn't.' Gwaine said. When Merlin didn't reply the two shared a look a worry again 'well I think we should go confront the princess' Gwaine chuckled 'see you in a bit Merlin.' The two knights left.

Merlin glared at the ground 'good luck' he grumbled 'King Arthur is too blinded by hatred to see what's truly right. I should never have trusted destiny.' He clenched his hands into fists and spoke harshly 'He will never be a good king.'

Xx—Xx—Xx

Arthur didn't know what to do. After a few minutes to calm down and think, he now he realised he had acted a bit rashly but the very person he trusted turned out to be the very thing he hated the most. He was confused. One part of his was screaming to kill the traitor before he could to Camelot harm, the other still foolishly wanted to believe that Merlin wasn't evil that it was just some stupid trick. But he couldn't deny it. He saw the gold eyes, saw the magic and heard the spell shouted from a familiar voice.

It was at that moment that Gwen walked in the room and moved towards Arthur. 'Arthur what happened? Where were Gwaine and Leon taking Merlin?'

'To the- To the dungeons. He was a sorcerer. He lied to me, to us.'

Gwen covered her mouth with her hands and gasped in shock 'Are you sure?' Arthur nodded, Gwen frowned and hugged Arthur 'What are you going to do now?'

'I was going to execute him' he ignored Gwen's small gasp 'but now I don't know. I've known Merlin for years, the thought of him being evil is just wrong but what if he is? What is our friendship was just a lie?' Gwen released Arthur from the hug and was about to speak when another voice spoke from behind them

'go talk to him.'

Arthur and Gwen looked up to see Gwaine and Leon in the doorway. 'The only way for you to know what happened is to ask him.'

'I don't know if I can face him yet.'

'Arthur, he thinks you hate him.'

Arthur didn't know what to say to that. Not even he knew how exactly he felt about Merlin at this moment.

'How about you talk to Gaius.' Gwen suggested 'Gaius must have known about Merlin magic if Merlin is not evil otherwise he would have kept quiet about his magic.'

Arthur nodded, that was true. 'You coming?' he asked Gwen. She, of course, nodded. Arthur turned to face Gwaine and Leon, he did not need to ask again. Gwain nodded, a smile across his face 'If Merlin's not bad I want ask him if he can magic me a lifetime supply of apples.'

'Maybe I should keep an eye on Merlin.' Leon said 'Just in case.' Arthur nodded. The group split, one headed to the dungeons, the other three to get answers that would not mean the death of their friend.

Xx—Xx—Xx

When the three arrived in Gaius' chamber they found said physician sat at a table studying for a old looking book that Arthur really had no interest in finding more about. At the sound of the doors opening Gaius looked up, raising an eyebrow. 'Arthur, Gwen, Gwaine, what is it you want? Is one of you sick?'

'No Gaius' Arthur said 'we want to know about Merlin.'

Gaius' eyebrow rose higher 'about Merlin?'

'what he means is' Gwen spoke calmly 'we want to know about Merlin's magic.'

Gaius went pale 'when did you find out?' he gasped 'Not long ago. He used his magic to stop that intruder from killing me.' Arthur had almost forgot about the attacker, the warning bells had stopped ringing which either meant that they had captured the attacker, he had been found dead or he was long gone. He hoped it was one of the first two.

'What do you want to know?' Gaius' reply snapped Arthur out of his thoughts 'How long has he been practicing magic?' he questioned

'Merlin has been practising magic since he first came to Camelot but he's been able to use it since he was born.'

'Is that even possible?' Gwen questioned

'Yes, it is rare, but possible. It means Merlin had no choice but to use magic. Essentially he is magic. It is connected to him more than your average sorcerer.'

'Does that mean Merlin's powerful?' Gwaine spoke, looking rather happy at that idea. Gaius took a deep breath and turned to the directly at Arthur. 'Legend states' he spoke 'that the most powerful sorcerer who will ever live will protect the once and future King, that's you Arthur,'

'What?'

Gaius ignored him and continued to speak from where Arthur interrupted him 'and together they will unite all of Albion and bring magic back to the land. That sorcerer is Merlin. So yes, Gwaine, he is powerful.' Gwaine laughed 'and here we thought he was weak!'

'So you're saying Gaius that Merlin has been protecting me since he came to Camleot?' Gaius nodded

'And I sentenced him to death.'

Gaius startled 'You What!?'

'Gaius can you tell me all that Merlin has done for me.'

'if you release him from the dungeon, sire, and do not execute him.'

'I will see to it.' Arthur turned to leave but was stopped as Leon came running round the corner and through the open door 'Sire!' he gasped, out of breath from running so fast 'Its Merlin. He's disappeared!'

Xx—Xx—Xx

**So, what do you think? I will update as soon as possible! (It may help if I get some reviews and/or interest in the story *hint hint* ;] )**

**Anyway let me know what you think! Review!**


	2. Ch1 A Warning

**Unmei no Henka**

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**Here's Chapter 1. And it up earlier than I thought it'd be ^-^! Enjoy!**

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"_**Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."- **__**Harriet Tubman**___

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_Chapter 1- A Warning _

Arthur sighed as he remembered the events of 6 months ago. After Leon had burst into Gaius' chamber bringing news of the newly discovered sorcerers sudden disappearance the King, Queen, Knight and physician had only paused briefly before running from the room in a panicked hurry down to the empty dungeons. As Leon had said, the cell that once occupied Merlin was empty. The cell door was untouched; the lock not broken, the hinges not destroyed. There was no sign of a forced breakout. That could only have meant one thing.

'That idiot!' Arthur had snapped, reaching the obvious conclusion as to how Merlin had escaped 'Why did he do that!?'

'In all fairness Arthur' Gwaine countered 'He did think you were going to kill him. You seemed pretty mad when you last saw him.'

After that Arthur had immediately went riding out with Gwaine, Leon, Percival and Elyan to try and find the missing manservant. They had searched for days, weeks, months.

Merlin had not been found

Arthur refused to give up, even after 6 months had passed, neither had Gwen, Gaius or the knights. It had occurred to Arthur that Merlin didn't want to be found but he didn't care. He needed to find Merlin and apologise for acting so rashly when he had found out, for putting Merlin through something that he shouldn't have had to go through.

The sounds of the warning bells snapped him back to the present with a jolt. He looked around in a panic, remembering the last time those dreaded bells had tolled, half expecting a crazed sorcerer or assassin to burst into his chambers hell-bent of murdering him.

When his doors burst open this time, banging loudly against the stone wall, it was only a knight who came running in. 'Sire,' the knight bowed slightly 'The thief is running amuck in the lower towns again. We have been unable capture him.'

Arthur nodded, grabbed his sword and strode out of the room. He pushed all thoughts of his missing manservant from his mind, focusing only on the task at hand. The same thief had kept stealing from innocent people for the past few weeks. They knew nothing about him, where he came from, who he was or why he was doing it. All they knew was that he was impossible to capture.

It was raining heavily outside, the rain bouncing off the ground with loud thumps, making is hard to hear anything else. It was quite difficult to see as well with the rain coming down as fast and heavily as it was. Why the thief had chose today of all days to do some stealing, Arthur had no idea and was, to be quite honest, slightly annoyed that he had, he was soaked already, but none the less a thief was a thief and no matter what day it was, or how annoyed he was, had to be captured.  
It was then that Arthur caught a glimpse of a midnight blue cloak disappear round a corner. Arthur followed without hesitation after the man who didn't seemed to be bothered at all by the heavy downpour.  
'Halt!' Arthur called at the retreating figures back. The thief stopped and slowly turned to face him. 'Oh, looks like you finally caught me' the thief cried in fake concern 'whatever shall I do!?' Arthur growled in annoyance and raised is sword the thief's neck. 'Why are you doing this? What have the people of Camelot done to you?' he snarled. The thief raised both his hands in what looked like a gesture of peace. Arthur wished he could see the thief's face to see what he could be thinking but his it was shrouded in darkness from the hood that was pulled over his head.  
'No need to get angry king Arthur.'  
Arthur scowled and moved his sword closer to the neck. He faintly heard the thief mumble something but he couldn't make out what was being said, he chose to ignore it.  
'I have every right to be angry! My citizens are scared, they fear leaving their homes, terrified of who will be one of the next victims. You don't exactly leave them unharmed.'  
'I don't kill them.'  
'That's not the point! Why are you doing this?'  
The thief said nothing and Arthur feared he was about to make an escape attempt. He was proven wrong when the thief opened his mouth and spoke 'to send a warning.'  
'a warning?'  
'Or a bit of preparation, whichever you'd prefer to call it.' he crossed his arms and even though he couldn't see his face, Arthur knew the thief would be smirking.  
'Soon, King Arthur Pendragon, you will be alone with no one to protect or help you. All those who see wrongly will be gone and Camelot will fall, with no one around to save it. I'm just giving you a taste of what's to come.'  
'Sire! Arthur!'  
The call from one of his knights distracted him. He turned and could just about make out the form of Percival running towards him through the rain. 'I have the thief!' he called back. If Percival had replied, Arthur didn't hear it as the thief had chosen that moment to start chuckling 'don't be so sure.' By the time Arthur had whipped his head round to face the thief, he was gone, disappearing into the cover of the heavy rain. Arthur cursed, he had been so close. 

Xx—Xx—Xx

By the time Arthur had returned to his chambers he was completely soaked and thoroughly annoyed. After he had stupidly allowed the thief to escape, he and the knights had spent another half an hour trying to track him down. Their efforts were wasted when they managed to find no trace of the thief.

'You didn't catch him then.'

The statement had come from Gwen who had been waiting for him in their chambers, obviously trying to hide her laughter over his appearance. 'No.' was Arthur's simple reply. Gwen giggled at him and walked over to him 'Come on,' she said 'let's get you out of those wet cloths.' Arthur nodded and allowed Gwen to undress him.

Once they were done Arthur sat down at the table with Gwen. 'Something's worrying you Arthur.' Gwen said, her voice full of concern 'it's nothing' Arthur said not wanting her to worry but flinched slightly when he saw the look Gwen was giving him. 'It's something the thief said to me.'

'What did he say?'

And so Arthur found himself telling Gwen exactly what had happened with the thief. When he was finished Gwen sat still for a moment, taking in what her husband had just told her. 'And the way he escaped,' Arthur added 'it must have been magic. There's no other way he could have escaped so quickly. I only looked away for a second.'

'That would explain how he's managed to evade you and the knight's for so long…' she paused 'what are you going to do?'

Arthur didn't know. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Whenever they faced something to do with magic it would always Merlin who had the answer. 'I don't know' he sighed in defeat 'If only Merlin was here.'

Xx—Xx—Xx

2 Months Later…

'This is getting annoying now.'

'And it wasn't the first few times he managed to escape us?'

Arthur glared at Gwaine who was stood next to him as they walked the streets trying to find the thief who had escaped them once again. 'It's strange though. He didn't steal anything this time.' Elyan voiced. It was true, the thief, whose name they still did not know, had appeared in front of them and then disappeared just as quick. Since then the knights had been trying to track down the illusive thief.

'Sire!'

Arthur turned round quickly to see another one of his knights running around the corner 'the thief!' he cried. 'What is it? Have you captured him?' The knight shook his head 'no sire. He's- he's,' Arthur was growing annoyed 'What has he done!' He yelled. The knight flinched 'He's murdered Lord Richard.'

_What?_

'He's what!? Are you sure?'

'Yes, sire. We heard a scream coming from his chambers, when we got there the thief was standing over his dead body. He escaped before we could arrest him.'

Arthur glanced at Gwaine and Elyan; they too had looks of shock on their faces. Why would the thief do something like this? Lord Richard was loyal to Camelot, yes, but had done nothing that could warrant his murder. Then he remembered said thief's words.

_'Soon, King Arthur Pendragon, you will be alone with no one to protect or help you. All those who see wrongly will be gone and Camelot will fall'_

Was that what he had meant? Gwaine looked over at him and Arthur knew he was thinking the same. He had told Gwaine, Elyan, Leon and Percival what had happened with the thief after Gwen had gave him one of her stern looks again.

'Take me to his body.'

The knight nodded and bowed, then turned around and led them into the castle up the stone steps. When he arrived in Lord Richards chambers, Gaius was already there examining the dead lords body. Gaius stood up and turned to face him. 'How did he die?' Arthur asked seriously, his gaze flicking over to the bloodied body on the floor. 'It seemed he was stabbed multiple times.' Gaius replied with a somber tone. Arthur nodded and tore his gaze away from the dead Lord back to Gaius 'is there any sign that magic was used?'

'Magic, sire?'

'The thief is a sorcerer. Did he use magic?'

Gaius' eyebrow rose 'no sire, he did not.'

'Why would he not use it?'

'Just because someone has magic doesn't mean he has to use it with everything.' Arthur gasped at the familiar voice and spun around to face the figure in front of an open window casually leaning against the stone wall. He vaguely heard Gwaine, Elyan and the knight that had come with them draw their swords but his eyes were locked onto the cloaked figure in front of him. His eyes narrowed in hatred 'So it was you.' The thief said nothing. Arthur unsheathed his own sword 'why did you do this?' The thief smirked from beneath his hood and spoke one word that sounded so full of hatred that it sent chills down Arthur's spine,

'Revenge.'

** Xx—Xx—Xx **

**What to do think? **

**So, Arthur and the thief have met and now the first noble has been murdered. Who is the thief and why does he want revenge? The next chapter will hopefully be up by the end of the week. See you then. **

**Revieww!**


	3. Ch2 Propositus est Cogitavit

**Unmei no Henka**

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**Sorry about the slight delay, I had some last minute homework to finish. (ugh, school tomorrow TT~TT) This chapter is slightly shorter than the other two but I really struggled writing this chapter so sorry if it's not as good. **

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"_**All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another"- **__**Anatole France**___

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_Chapter 2- Propositus est cogitavit_

'Revenge'

Arthur froze at the words uttered from the thief's mouth. Never had he heard the word spoken with such hatred and loathing. It left him too shocked to move for a moment as he and the thief stared at each other. Arthur narrowed his eyes.

'What have I ever done to you?'

'You killed so many of my kind. Slaughtered innocent, killed hundreds, Arthur Pendragon, what haven't you done.'

Arthur stepped towards the thief, sword pointed towards him 'If you want revenge why did you kill Lord Richard?'

'The best way to get to you is to kill the ones who stand by you and your wrong views against magic.'

Arthur growled and moved to attack the thief but was stopped when his eyes glowed gold and was thrown backwards into Gwaine who was stood behind him and they both fell to the floor with a thud. 'Did you really think you could stop me with a sword?' The thief taunted with a grin 'I have magic, you can't touch me!' He frowned when Elyan and the other knight came charging towards him. With a simple hand movement they were sent flying against the hard stone wall and knocked out. The thief turned to look at Gaius who had until now stood forgotten in the corner of the room. He raised his hand to face Gaius and Arthur feared that the thief would attack him. Arthur tried to get up to stop the thief but was stopped when the thief muttered a spell and Arthur found himself unable to move, glancing to his left Arthur found that Gwaine couldn't either. Arthur cursed.

The thief's attention was now focused solely on Gaius as if trying to decide what to do. Then, with a slight sigh, the thief lowered his hand and turned away from Gaius to face the window he had appeared from 'I will not harm someone innocent.' He spoke softly, and then with more venom in his voice he added 'I have more mercy than you Arthur Pendragon.' He walked towards the window 'Stop thief!' Arthur cried from his position on the floor 'You can't leave. I won't allow it!' He struggled to get to his feet but couldn't move no matter how hard he tried. The thief laughed at him 'You will not be able to escape my spell.'

'Release me thief!'

'The spell will stop when I've gone.' He stood in front of the window and turned to face Arthur 'I don't believe I ever introduced myself, how rude of me' he grinned 'Nice to meet to Arthur Pendragon, I am known as Emrys.' Before Arthur could reply the thief, Emrys, had disappeared.

Xx—Xx—Xx

A couple of minutes later Arthur and Gwaine found that they were able to move. Arthur ran towards the window 'How the heck did he disappear like that?'

'Probably magic sire.' Gaius replied. Arthur turned to face the physician who looked slightly pale and had a worried expression on his face. 'Are you okay Gaius.' Arthur asked and walked towards Gaius who was looking over Elyan and the other knight. Gaius nodded his head 'just a bit surprised sire.'

'That the thief- Emrys,' he corrected himself 'didn't attack you?' Hesitantly Gaius nodded. Sensing Gaius didn't want to talk about it he changed the subject 'how are they?' he asked, indicating to the fallen knights. 'They are fine' Gaius replied 'just a slight concussion.'

'What are you going to do now?' Gwaine questioned from behind him. Arthur shook his head, he didn't know. He could only hope that they managed to find Emrys before it was too late.

Xx—Xx—Xx

Gaius slumped down on the bench when he arrived back in his chambers. He ran a hand through his gray hair with a sigh and shook his head. The words of the thief echoing in his mind

'_I am known as Emrys'_

_Emrys... _

Gaius knew that name and who it belonged to, how could he not. But the realisation of this filled him with a cold sense of dread and he felt almost sick. He hoped things were not as they seemed that it was some misunderstanding but he knew that it was not.

He would not tell Arthur what he knew. He wouldn't be able to take it or start to hate magic more.

He would have to make sure for certain, find out why this was happening. His gaze fell to the closed wooden door at the other side of the room and he sighed again.

'What have you done, Merlin?'

Xx—Xx—Xx

3 ½ weeks later...

5 nobles and knights had been killed since Emrys had begun his plan for revenge. Arthur was frustrated and annoyed. Every time the chased him down, Emrys would manage to escape from them. This had to be stopped before things got worse.

'Do you think we're going to capture him?' Gwaine spoke

'Of Course we will.' Leon responded

'He's pretty good at disappearing though' Elyan supplied

'He's a sorcerer though' Percival responded 'that makes things easy for him.'

'We need to think of a plan.' Arthur snapped 'and not discussing how good a thief he is.' That made the knights quiet and they all turned to look at him from their places at the round table.

'Why do you still call him a thief?' Gwaine asked

Arthur frowned, this was not the time to be discussing names 'I hardly think that matters Gwaine.' He snapped. Gwaine looked slightly annoyed for a second but the look quickly disappeared 'what's the plan then?'

'That's what we're trying to figure out.'

'No need to get so grumpy Princess. How about we just surround him?'

'Unless you forgot Gwaine, he has magic, we have swords. Even if I hate to admit it, he has an advantage.'

'Not if we take him by surprise him.' Leon spoke up; Arthur moved his head to look at him and motioned for Leon to continue. 'If we distract him then one of us could try and sneak up behind him. He can't use his magic if he doesn't know that we're there.' Arthur nodded in agreement, it sounded like a good plan. Looking at the rest of the 4 knights he trusted the most he could see that they agreed.

They spent the next 10 minutes thoroughly going through the plan. They made sure everything would hopefully work out as planned. They needed to catch Emrys, they couldn't afford any mistakes; he needed to be caught.

It was just as they were finishing up that the warning bells tolled, ringing loudly throughout the large castle. Arthur glanced at the 4 knights who stood from their seats the moment he did, the sound of chairs scraping against the stone floors echoing slightly, and they knew it was time. As one they drew their swords and moved out of the room.

Arthur grinned, it was time to begin the counteroffensive, and this time they would not fail.

Xx—Xx—Xx

**There you have it, Chapter 2 of Unmei no Henka! What do you think? **

**(Oh and if you're wondering the chapter title means 'a plan is planned'. Sounds cooler in another language) **

**RRevviewww! =D **

**... You know you want to ^-^ **


	4. Ch3 Repercussions of Reactions

**Unmei no Henka**

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**chapter 3 of Unmei no Henka. So sorry for the long delay (it was ment to be up by Monday) but I've had loads of homework to do. *mumble, mumble* damn school, already giving us loads of homework and it's only been 1 week -_- **

**I spent ages working on this tonight to get it finished and uploaded and I still have homework to do. **

**Anyway, enough of my rambling, enjoy the chappie! **

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"_**We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - but never blame yourself. It's never your fault. But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change you're the one who has got to change."- **__**Katharine Hepburn**___

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_Chapter 3- Repercussions of reactions _

The first thing they had to do was find out where Emrys was. Over the loudly ringing warning bells Arthur could faintly hear the shouts of his knights as they chased the thief down. Following the voices they managed to track the thief to the lower towns. He was running down the streets, ducking down alleyways, managing to stay away from the knights. Nodding to his knights they broke away from each other, each going different ways. Arthur continued to trail the thief. When he was close behind Arthur held his sword out and shouted 'Halt!' Emrys slowed down slightly but didn't stop running. Arthur grinned, just what he wanted.

Suddenly Emrys stopped, as Elyan and Percival appeared in front and to the side of him and Arthur, expecting this stopped running, coming to a halt close behind the thief. He held is sword against Emrys' back. Emrys tensed slightly and a low growl appeared from his throat, from what Arthur could guess was annoyance.

'I thought you'd learnt your lesson about using swords against magic.'

Arthur didn't reply. Emrys turned to face him, he was grinning. 'You know you're outmatched but you're too much of an arrogant prat to admit it.' Arthur was stunned; he hadn't heard anyone call him that in months, since the incident with Merlin the word had never been spoken. As soon as the word had been spoken Arthur could see that Emrys appeared to be shocked with what he had said and, by quickly glancing round, Arthur could see his knights were surprised as well. He narrowed his eyes, _it couldn't be._ 'What did you say?' he questioned. Emrys, who had recovered from his shock, decided to ignore Arthur's question and started looking around for a way out. Arthur took this time to study the thief. He was tall, and covered in a slightly worn out looking dark midnight blue cloak and Arthur wished he could see underneath the hood, to know what the thief looked like. _Soon, _he thought, _soon I'll know._ He had no weapons; Arthur thought he saw something glint in the light slightly when the thief moved, though the thief did have magic to defend himself, so Arthur guessed a weapon wasn't really needed.

Emrys started mumbling something and Arthur realized that he was chanting a spell. 'Stop him!' He shouted to Elyan and Percival who both lunged forward to try and stop him. Emrys managed to doge both knights by stepping to the side. Arthur grinned, perfect 'NOW!' He shouted, Emrys whipped round to face him in surprise before Gwaine appeared behind him with Leon as back up. In one swift movement Gwaine thrust is sword into the thief's shoulder. With a small cry of pain Emrys sank to the floor, sword still embedded in his shoulder.

'You got cocky Emrys' Arthur taunted 'you didn't realize that two of my knights weren't with me.' He strode towards the fallen sorcerer. 'Now let's see what you look like.' He grabbed the dark blue hood and pushed it back. Arthur gasped as familiar blue eyes glared up at him, he could tell straight away who it was, even with the messy black hair slightly longer and face less pale, he knew. How could he not, it was the face of the person he had considered a friend for 5 years. He took a step back in shock, and he could see the other knights pale in shock at the revelation.

'Merlin.'

Blue eyes hardened with hatred glared back at him 'sire.' The word was spat out like it left a foul taste in the thief- Merlin's, Arthur corrected himself with reluctance, mouth.

'Merlin, what are you doing?' Gwaine cried from behind Merlin who ignored him in favor of glaring at Arthur. Arthur managed to calm down 'What are you doing?' he echoed Gwaine's question.

'I told you,' Merlin snapped 'Revenge.'

Arthur shook his head in denial 'This isn't you Merlin.'

'You know nothing about me.'

'I know Merlin wouldn't kill anyone'

'People change.'

'For god's sake, Merlin, you hate hunting! You hate killing things.'

Merlin chuckled darkly, a smirk crossing his lips 'On the contrary Arthur, I love hunting. Especially when it involves killing people who share you twisted views' he stood, yanking the sword out of his shoulder and throwing it to the floor with a clang, his eyes never left Arthur's 'I only wish it was you I could kill.' He lunged forward to try and get to Arthur but was tackled to the ground by Gwaine and Leon.

'Merlin please, stop this' Gwaine begged

'I sacrificed so much for you, Arthur Pendragon!' he spat in anger 'I trusted you, believed in destiny and in the future I thought you'd create. It seems, however, that my belief was obviously misplaced.'

Arthur took a step back in shock at the venom in his old friend's once kind and caring voice. He wanted to open his mouth and say the truth; that he looked for his friend and felt terrible for what he said but the words would not leave his lips. Merlin continued to struggle before he suddenly fell limp and stopped struggling. Gwaine and Leon did not release him however, though were both confused at the sudden silence. When he spoke next his voice sounded slightly softer 'you are not the king you I believed you to be. Destiny is changing, Arthur Pendragon,' the hatred was back 'and I, your once protector, will be the one to kill you.' His eyes flared gold and Gwaine and Leon were thrown against the wall. Merlin started chanting again and a wind started swirling around him 'I'll go for now, you seem to be in shock,' he grinned, as Merlin faded from Arthur's sight, his last words echoed about the alleyway 'Until we meet again, _sire_.'

Xx—Xx—Xx

Arthur stood in stunned silence, shocked, terrified even, at what had become of his friend. Hundreds of thoughts rushed to his brain in a hurricane of emotions and conflicting thoughts. What if he hadn't acted so rashly, what if he had managed to find Merlin, What if, what if what if? He shook his head as if it would get rid of the thoughts filling his head; he needed to think of what was happening now and concentrate on what he was going to do. Nevertheless, No matter how hard he tried he could not stop thinking about the look of animosity on merlin's face. This was all his fault.

'Damn it, Merlin!'

Slowly Arthur dragged his eyes away from the area Merlin had disappeared from, to where Gwaine was leaning against the wall where he had been thrown earlier by Merlin's surprise blast of magic. He slammed his fist into the wall

'Why is he doing this!'

Then he turned to glare at Arthur 'If you hadn't have acted as such spoiled arrogant prat of a King then this wouldn't have happened.'

'Gwaine stop, this isn't Arthur fault.' Leon tried to calm the frustrated knight down 'You, just as we all do, know how long we looked for Merlin. How guilty Arthur feels.' Gwaine said nothing but his shoulders slumped 'I hardly recognized him.'

Arthur recovered at that point and frowned 'We need to talk to Gaius. He would have known about Emrys, about Merlin.' The rest of the Knights nodded and followed Arthur to Gaius' chambers in a shocked silence.

Xx—Xx—Xx

Gaius was sat at the old wooden table studying from a thick medical book when they arrived through the chamber doors. He raised an eyebrow but once he saw the look on the King and his most trusted knights' faces he became serious and stood. 'What's wrong sire?'

Arthur took a while to reply but when he did, his voice was quiet with an undertone of sorrow and shock, 'we found out who Emrys really is.' At Gaius' small gasp of shock Arthur continued 'you knew didn't you Gaius. You knew Emrys' true identity, that he's Merlin.' Gaius knew it wasn't a question but found himself nodding 'I knew that it was Merlin's druid name.'

'Why didn't you say anything then?'

'We never saw Emrys' face. For all I knew it was someone pretending to be Emrys. I didn't want to jump to conclusions,' he paused and added somberly 'I didn't want it to be true.' Arthur's gaze softened 'I can hardly believe it myself.'

'He's not Merlin anymore' Elyan said

'I never would have expected him to do something like this.'

'There's has to be a good explanation. Maybe he was enchanted, or he's just trying to scare us, maybe... maybe...' Gwaine sighed in defeat and ran his hand through his already messy hair, he, and everyone else, knew that Merlin made it perfectly clear that he hated Arthur. There was just a small desperate part of him, of all of them, that hoped that it was not as it seemed.

Xx—Xx—Xx

Dark green leaves formed a canopy over the muddy dark forest below, blocking out most of the light from entering the silent clearing. A few beams of light managed penetrate through the cover of leaves, creating narrow golden beams of light that touched the shadowy clearing floor. A small wind blew through the clearing, disturbing the silence as it rustled the leaves. A figure stood at the centre of the clearing, out the light so his features could not be seen. Another figure walked through the bushes behind him; he too was covered by darkness. After a moment of silence the two spoke to each other

'Well?' the second figure spoke in a calm voice

'I did it.' The first replied

'Good, good. And what of the King?'

'I hardly need to answer that, you already know.'

The second figure nodded, even though he knew the first could not see him

'We teamed up for a reason. We both wanted the King dead or have you changed your mind?'

The first did not reply straight away 'Don't worry,' he answered, sounding slightly annoyed 'the king will be dead soon but only when he knows what it feels like to lose all hope.'

**Xx—Xx—Xx **

**Dun dun dduunn! Yes, it's Merlin! Who now seems to hate Arthur. Is that the reason for all this killing? The answer will be revealed soon. **

**I have to admit I was slightly disappointed that I only got one review for the last chapter, which really doesn't give me much motivation. Now I'm not gonna be nasty and say if I don't get reviews I won't upload but it would be nice to get a few more...**

**So yeah, review please! ^-^**


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